The Blog
what Happened in 2021 and What I learned from it
School I thought 2020 was challenging but 2021 had its own crazy challenges. Our challenges started at the beginning of the year when my High School Junior son lost TOTAL INTEREST in school from doing school online. He was depressed and felt that he was so isolated....
One Room Challenge – Kitchen renovation-Spring 2021- final reveal
The final reveal Here it finally is! It is week 8 of the One Room Challenge and the week to reveal the results of a long and stressful kitchen renovation that we just went through. I am delighted to have a kitchen again. I love to cook and work at my kitchen table...
One Room Challenge – Spring 2021- Week 7 – Kitchen renovation
I am Ilse Benard, fun loving color loving designer in League City. Texas. I am renovating my kitchen after my house got flooded from a burst pipe in February of 2021 during the Big Texas Freeze, aka snowpocalypse, snowmageddon. WHAT IS THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE?...
One Room Challenge – Spring 2021-Week 6-Kitchen Renovation
I am Ilse Benard, fun loving, color loving Interior Designer in League City, Texas. I lost my kitchen, living room and dining room in the big Texas Freeze of 2021. A pipe burst in our ceiling and we got 2 inches of water in our house before we were able to shut the...
One Room Challenge – Spring 2021 – Week 5 – Kitchen renovation
Wow, here we are at week 5 of this One Room Challenge. I am honored to be a guest designer for the challenge and humbled by all the work that went into establishing this event. Thank you Linda Weinstein of calling it home for making it possible for us designers to...
One Room Challenge Spring 2021 – Week 4 – Kitchen Renovation
I am Ilse Benard, fun loving, color loving Interior Designer in League City, Texas. During the big Texas Freeze in February of 2021 a pipe burst in my kitchen. We got 2 inches of water in the Living Room, Dining room and Kitchen. Flooring, baseboards and sheetrock had...
One Room Challenge Spring 2021 – Week 3 – Kitchen Renovation
I am thrilled to be a guest designer on the One Room Challenge. This is an opportunity given to me and other designers to make our own homes beautiful in a 6 week timespanc. Twenty Designers are invited to be featured to start and finish a room in their own homes...
One Room challenge Spring 2021 -Week 2 -Kitchen Renovation
About me I am an Interior Designer located in League City Texas. My upbringing in South Africa made me love colors and textures. I like to stretch the boundaries of prints, designs and colors that can go together. ONE Room Challenge I am once again delighted to be a...
One Room Challenge Spring 2021- Kitchen Renovation
I am happy to be a participant yet again in the One Room Challenge. This is the 19th season for this event. Linda Weinstein is the creator of the One Room Challenge. It started out as a challenge for designers to do a room in their own homes as most of us never have...
Year In Review – 2020
I don't have to tell anybody what an emotionally straining year 2020 has been. We all know that. Yet there has been so much good with the bad. what did 2020 do for me? In February I went to the Design Influencer's conference in San Francisco which was to be my last...
One Room Challenge – Fall 2020 – Final Reveal – Master bedroom makeover
The One Room Challenge I am happy to be a guest participant on the One Room Challenge. Just like many of the twenty featured designers and guests, I have redone a room in my own house. With Designers it is like the cobbler's kids who have no shoes! There is never...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE FALL 2020 – WEEK 5
MASTER BEDROOM MAKEOVER This is week 5 of the One Room Challenge. I am so grateful to be a guest participant on the bi-annual One Room Challenge. Each year 20 design influencers are invited to participate and blog about their room makeover. Read their blogs here As a...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE FALL 2020 -WEEK 4
MASTER BEDROOM MAKEOVER I am so happy to once again,to be a guest designer on the One Room Challenge for Fall 2020. This time I am doing a Master Bedroom Makeover in my own home. If this is your first time reading my blog I can explain a little. The One Room Challenge...
One Room Challenge – Fall 2020 Week 3
I am a guest participant on the One Room Challenge, which originally started out as a way for designers to finish a room in their own homes and blog about it during the 6 weeks of ongoing work. You can read the blogs of the 20 designers and 300 plus guest here. Thanks...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE FALL 2020 -WEEK 2
Master bedroom makeover WEEK 2 This is week week 2 of the One Room Challenge. If you are not familiar the One Room Challenge read more here. Thanks to Linda Weinstein of One Room Challenge and Better Homes and Gardens for sponsoring this event. I am now for the second...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE FALL 2020 WEEK 1 Master bedroom makeover.
Master bedroom makeover Here we go, its that time again! I am working on the One Room Challenge Fall 2020 bedroom makeover. I am participating in my second One Room Challenge. This time I have chosen to redo our Master Bedroom or, sorry, the Primary Bedroom because...
How to avoid remodeling surprises
So you are thinking about remodeling your home? May I say that is possibly one of the most stressful situations you will ever go through. The job is very seldom finished in less time than you think. Most jobs have surprises that you did not know were there until...
One Room Challenge – Final Reveal for my back patio and yard transformation
This was the first time I participated as a guest in the One Room Challenge and I am very happy with the outcome. I love spending early mornings on my porch now and seeing what critters come to my yard. I have seen bees, hummingbirds, cardinals and butterflies enjoy...
One Room Challenge Week 7 – My back porch and yard transformation.
One Room Challenge This is the last week of the One Room Challenge before the big reveal next week. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a guest participant for this bi-annual event. I could never have done this without my cheerleaders and sponsors, Seasonal...
One Room Challenge – Week 5 and 6 – My back porch and yard transformation
I am a guest participant in the One Room Challenge started by Linda Weinstein in 2011. I continue this week in gratitude for my sponsors and cheerleaders. Read more about the One Room Challenge here. As designers, we so often neglect our own homes and instead chase...